Notesnook vs Standard Notes

Notesnook

• People who want notes the provider cannot read
• Unlimited notes across many devices on a free plan
• Users who want open source clients and sync server
• Students and educators, who can get Pro for $19.99 a year

Standard Notes

• Private notes that the provider cannot read
• Keeping sensitive records and documents alongside notes
• People who want open source apps and the option to self-host
• Small groups: Professional can be shared with up to 5 accounts

Notesnook

• The free plan allows 50 MB of attachment uploads a month and 10 MB per file, and caps notebooks and tags at 50 each.
• Paid tiers mainly raise storage and limits: Essential gives 1 GB a month, Pro 10 GB and Believer 25 GB.
• Prices on notesnook.com are localized by country and shown with tax; the dollar prices here come from the US App Store listing.
• The 5-year plan is prepaid and does not include the 14-day trial.

Standard Notes

• The free plan is limited to plain-text notes; Markdown, rich text, spreadsheets and folders need Productivity at $90 per year.
• The pricing page lists yearly prices only, and there is no free trial; refunds are offered within 14 days (Productivity) or 90 days (Professional).
• Encrypted file storage comes only with Professional, and files cannot be viewed or downloaded after a subscription expires.
• When a subscription lapses, notes in the paid editors become read-only until switched back to plain text.

Notesnook

End-to-end encryption

Everything is encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 before it syncs, so the servers hold only data they cannot read.

Rich editor

The editor handles tables, task lists, outlines, code blocks, maths formulas, images and file attachments, with Markdown support.

Vault and app lock

The app can require a fingerprint, PIN or password to open, and a vault puts selected notes behind a second password.

Linked notes

Notes link to one another, and each note lists both the notes it points to and the notes that reference it.

Web clipper and published notes

An open source clipper for Chrome and Firefox saves pages or selections into notes. A single note can be published as a web page, optionally behind a password.

Reminders and Inbox API

Reminders can be set on any note and fire from the device. An inbox API lets Zapier, IFTTT or your own script add notes, encrypted with your key.

Standard Notes

End-to-end encryption

Notes, tags and other data are encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before syncing, so the server stores only data it cannot read.

Note types

A note is plain text on the free plan. A subscription adds Super notes for Markdown, rich text, checklists and code, plus spreadsheets and an authenticator for 2FA codes.

Sync and offline access

Notes sync across unlimited devices on the web, desktop and mobile, and an offline copy stays available without an internet connection.

Revision history and backups

Daily encrypted email backups come with every plan. Note history covers the current session on the free plan, 1 year on Productivity and is unlimited on Professional.

Encrypted file storage

Professional includes 100 GB of encrypted storage for photos, videos and documents, with no file size limit (tested up to 2 GB) and offline file access.

Web Clipper and folders

Paid plans add a Chrome and Firefox extension that clips a full page, an article or a selection into a note, and nested folders built from tags.

Notesnook

• Free$0

  Unlimited notes and devices, 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB file size, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 100 versions per note.

• Essential$1.99

  per month, or $19.99 per year (US App Store prices)

  1 GB of storage a month, 100 MB file size, 500 notebooks and tags, 50 active reminders and 1,000 versions per note.

• Pro$6.99

  per month, or $69.99 per year (US App Store prices)

  10 GB of storage a month, 1 GB file size and unlimited notebooks, tags, colors and reminders. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.

• Believer$8.99

  per month, or $89.99 per year (US App Store prices)

  25 GB of storage a month and 5 GB file size, with every limit removed. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.

Standard Notes

• StandardFree

  Plain-text notes with end-to-end encryption, unlimited device sync, offline access, tags and daily encrypted email backups.

• Productivity$90

  per year

  Adds the Super note type for Markdown and rich text, spreadsheets, Daily Notebooks, folders, the Web Clipper, an authenticator and 1-year revision history.

• Professional$120

  per year

  Adds 100 GB of encrypted file storage, subscription sharing with up to 5 accounts, maximum revision history and hardware security key support.

Notesnook

• Annual discount

  Two months free with yearly billing

  The pricing page labels yearly billing as 2 months free. On the US App Store, Essential is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro is $69.99 against $6.99.

• Education

  Pro for $19.99 a year for students and educators

  Students and educators can apply with an EDU email address or an official document to get Notesnook Pro for 19.99 USD per year. It lasts one year and can be reclaimed.

• Other savings

  Prepaid 5-year plans for Pro and Believer

  Pro and Believer can be paid for five years at a time, at a lower monthly rate than the standard yearly price shown on the pricing page.

Standard Notes

• Education

  30% student discount

  Students get 30% off any plan, except offline subscriptions, by emailing the support team from a student email address.

• Other savings

  Help for people who cannot afford a plan

  Standard Notes invites anyone facing economic difficulty to email support with their circumstances so a plan that works for them can be arranged.

• Other savings

  Discounted offline subscription for self-hosting

  Offline subscriptions, which unlock the paid features on a self-hosted server, are sold at what the vendor calls a steep discount from the hosted plans.